Clarion County commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to seek permission from the state to remove the county from Civil Service.
The move was in response to the continuing problem of finding suitable Children and Youth Services caseworkers.
Commissioner Ted Tharan said the cumbersome Civil Service procedure has “outlived its usefulness.”
Civil Service recently made the application available online, which Tharan called “a step in the right direction.”
Commissioner Ed Heasley called the Civil Service “user unfriendly.”
“It has outlived its usefulness,” said Heasley.
The county currently has about 30 employees hired under Civil Service.
In other business Tuesday, the commissioners approved a new contract with the United Mine Workers of America, which represents the county’s 38 corrections officers. The new three-year contract will provide a 2.5 percent wage increase in each year of the contract.
The commissioners approved the purchase of a new generator for the St. Petersburg cell tower. Tharan said the tower was struck by lightning and the “brains were fried.”
Commissioners also approved the purchase of two rooftop units at the Clarion County jail at a cost of $9,275 for each unit. The funding will be taken from the prison fund account.